Small Woodland Owners’ Group Newsletter November 2013 Log cabins for the birds Learning to make a longbow Our friends in the north: a Scottish woodland In this issue •News 3 • How to make a birdbox 6 • Our friends in the north: a Scottish woodland 8 • Learning to make a longbow 10 • Autumn courses 12 • Course Directory 13 • Woodlands blogs and TV 16 Woodlands and trees seem to be in the news e Small Woodland Owner’s Group has more than ever recently – not least with the been formed to aid the enjoyment, diversity recent fears over St Jude’s storm. We have news and conservation of British woodland. e of several reports which between them address company Woodlands.co.uk sponsors the group, the issues of the sustainability of our woodlands so membership is completely free and events are and forests, and the attitudes of woodland free of charge unless otherwise stated. SWOG is owners and the wider public to the great open to anyone interested in the management outdoors.ey all make interesting reading. or the enjoyment of woodland. Our friends at Plumtpon College are keen to offer guidance and advice to woodland owners, Newsletter November 2013 notably with advice on grants. ere is a Copyright © Small Woodland Owners’ Group possibility that we may join forces to organise a Picture credits day-long course and we would welcome Cover: David Tipling (rspb-images.com); pp 2 –3, 15 members’ suggestions for areas of discussion or Judith Millidge; p 4 RSPB Images; p 5 RFS; pp 6 –7 instruction. Rich Hare; pp 8 –9 Cameron Clark; pp 10 –11, 13, 14 Finally, Sarah has been stretching her green Sarah Walters; p 12 Sustainability Centre woodworking skills to make a longbow – which is more tricky than it may appear. And Rich Website and forum [email protected] explains how to make a log cabin for the birds by building a birdbox from just one log. Swog co-ordinator and newsletter editor We are always delighted to hear from SWOG [email protected] members - please keep sending in your stories Follow us on Twitter @_swog and comments rolling in. 2 News Grown in Britain is an initiative created by the 2012 Independent Panel on Forestry and intended to kick-start a sustainable future for Britain’s woodlands and forest. It aims to • Create a new and stronger market pull for the array of products derived from our woodlands and forests. • Develop private sector funding that supports the planting and management of woodland and forests through funding from corporates as part of their corporate social responsibility • Connect together and harness the positive energy and feelings towards our woodlands and forests that many in our society share to create a strong wood culture. A wood culture that captures personal health and fitness, well-being, community and encourages the use of more wood and forest product. Environment Secretary Owen Patterson received the first report compiled by Dr Peter Bonfield, who chairs the initiative. Grown in Britain – Creating a Sustainable Future for our Forests and Woodlands is available for download. It summarises the Grown in Britain action plan, the initiative’s achievements during the six months since its launch, and offers suggestions for the future. e summary emphasises that it is for organisations and individuals to move forward to harness the energy and goodwill of many to create a sustainable future for our woodlands. Many owners of small woods embrace the ambitions of the project and SWOG is pleased to offer its support. National Coppice Federation Launch • Promote coppicing as a form of woodland management that provides economic, ecological e National Coppice Federation was and culturally significant benefits. officially launched at St John’s, Smith Square, Speaking, after the event, Professor Julian London on 13 October. Evans, President of the Institute of Chartered e National Coppice Federation has grown Foresters, said:, ‘For many years county and out of the wish for regional coppice groups to regional coppice groups have wanted to come unite under one banner. e aims are to: together to raise the profile of their sector of • Bring together coppice groups and provided rural industry. After decades of neglect, a unified voice for the industry coppicing is experiencing a revival and proving • Encourage and promote the highest a win:win:win for wildlife, woodland owners standard of practice, and the quality of products and the well-being of the countryside.’ within the coppice industry 3 News Connecting with nature children with nature. Andy Simpson, Chairman A recent study by the RSPB, in conjunction of the Wild Network said, ‘is research shows with the University of Essex and the Calouste the enormity of the problem we face. We have a Gulbenkian Foundation, has found that just responsibility to act to engage children with one in five children are ‘connected to nature’. nature. e only way we can have any lasting e RSPB has completed a three-year project impact is by working together – as individuals that has quantified the scale of British children’s and as organisations – to reconnect young exposure to the natural world. e definition of people with nature and the outdoors.’ being ‘connected to nature’, includes four e general concern about children spending descriptions of how children feel about nature: too much time indoors, on consoles or • Empathy for creatures computers, or without the freedom to roam that • Having a sense of oneness with nature was enjoyed by previous generations is not new. • Having a sense of responsibility for the environment • Enjoyment of nature. Some 1,200 children were asked their feelings about nature by agreeing or disagreeing with 16 statements, such as ‘Being outdoors makes me happy’, ‘My actions will make the natural world different’, and ‘I feel sad when wild animals are hurt’. Only 21% of children had a connection that the RSPB considered to be realistic and achievable by all children. ere were interesting statistical differences e Woodlands.co.uk blog on Nature deficit between girls and boys, as well as wide disorder is here . It explores similar themes to variations across the country. e full study can those of the RSPB report. be read here . Woodland owners are in something of a e implications of this report are worrying privileged position, in that they are already for the future. If only a fifth of the population committed to spending more time outdoors and cares about nature, how will our environment they are likely to share their experiences with fare in the future? If children do not develop a their children and friends. Convincing love and respect for the world around them, are recalcitrant teenagers to venture outdoors is not they likely to care any more when they are always easy – and it’s probably best not to tell adults? them that it’s good for them – but the rewards As a result of this report, the RSPB is one of a are huge. If you are short of ideas for activities, group of organisations who have collaborated to spend a few minutes on the Woodlands.co.uk form the Wild Network, which aims to engage blog and be inspired. 4 News A future with broadleaved trees Royal Forestry Society (RFS) President Sir Jack Whitaker (right) has warmly welcomed a tripartite report, A Future with Broadleaved Trees , as a major step in ensuring a strong woodland heritage for the Britain and Ireland. e report is the result of work by three agencies, Forest Research, Future Trees Trust, and Earth Trust who have produced a strategy to develop resilient broadleaved trees for woodlands in Britain and Ireland. Britain currently imports 95% of its hardwood timber because the quality and quantity of hardwood timber cannot compete with foreign imports. Improving the quality of homegrown timber within the report to ensure that the industry as a will not only support our timber industry, but whole is kept updated on improvements, that will also improve broadleaved trees’ resilience to the information is easily accessible to growers disease. ere are three objectives and that those planting new trees are sufficiently • Delivering improved broadleaved trees incentivised to use improved species’. through research Forest Research’s Chief Executive, Dr James • Raising awareness of the benefits of using Pendlebury stressed the need for prompt action: improved broadleaved trees ‘Just as animals and crops have always been bred • Establishing a policy framework that to enhance desirable traits, the same thing can encourages the planting of improved be done with trees. But it takes a lot longer to broadleaved trees. achieve results so we need to act now if we want Sir Jack said, ‘A consistent approach to how to secure the future of our broadleaf tree we develop robust and resilient woodlands is populations’. vital. As important are the measures included To read the report, click here. British Woodlands Survey 2012 ▪ the identification of barriers to SFM as perceived by woodland owners. Many SWOG members may have contributed An advisory group was established to help to the British Woodlands 2012 survey, a shape the survey and promote it to the sector. collaborative initiative between the Sylva e online survey, involving 76 questions, Foundation and the Department of Land attracted 2,600 responses, representing more Economy, University of Cambridge. e full than 7% of the woodland area in Britain report now has been published. outside of Forestry Commission ownership. e aim was to gain insights into: Part-funded and published by the Royal ▪ the extent to which woodland owners felt Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), it is they understood the principles of sustainable available for free download on their website.